Central Oregon tow truck drivers deal with close calls on the highways

Urge motorists to be aware of the state's 'move over' law

(Update: Adding video, comment from tow truck driver, Deschutes County sheriff's office)

BEND, Ore (KTVZ) -- A local tow truck driver has a simple but very important message for other drivers: “Move over.”

Robert Lee loves his job, despite the dangers it brings. But he's frustrated that many drivers seem to be ignoring the law. 

He drives heavy tow trucks for Consolidated Towing in Bend.

"We get motor homes, tractor trailrts, smaller trucks, cars, dump trucks,” Lee told NewsChannel 21 on Friday. “We tow everything.”

His truck weighs around 25 tons, which can put him in some difficult situations.

"We have to put ourselves in dangerous positions, pretty often,” Lee said. “Every day."

But his equipment isn't the biggest thing he has to worry about on the job.

"We have to also focus on what's happening around us,” Lee said. “Not necessarily only on what we're doing. I would say the most dangerous part is the highways."

But Oregon has a law meant to protect lee and other emergency vehicles. A "move over" law.

Oregon's "move over" law means is that when you see lights flashing from an emergency vehicle ahead of you, move over one lane if you can -- or slow down if you can't.

It was expanded in 2018 to include tow trucks, but Lee said drivers aren't following it.

"Closest call I got, I was hooking up a tractor-trailer,” he said, recalling an incident from last year in Redmond. “(I) stood up, and I felt the semi-trailer grab the hood of my jacket and jerked me. And the guy was probably doing 55, 60 miles an hour."

Thankfully for Lee, he was able to walk away. But he said it could end differently, if he's in the wrong position at the wrong time.

"We have to be underneath those tires when we're doing that,” he said. “And it has to be in neutral -- of coursse we have it hooked to a truck, but it has to be in neutral with the brakes released, to release the tension on the drive shaft.

“If these trucks get tagged at all, we're a goner."

Lee parked his trucked on the shoulder of Highway 97 south of Bend to help explain what he's saying. Car after car ignored his flashing lights and drove by him in the right lane, pretty fast.

And yet, the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office said deputies have issued only one citation for violating the law since 2019.

Public Information Officer Sgt. Jayson Janes said: "We want to get voluntary compliance and concentrate on the education piece more so than the citation."

Lee said he knows not everyone can change lanes, but he said slowing down is better than nothing.

It'll allow him and others like him to work, with some peace of mind.

Janes also said he believe more people get pulled over for violation of the law, but are only given a verbal warning.

A violation carries a fine of up to $355.